UAE and German legislatures consider setting up friendship committee

BERLIN, 12th March, 2017 (WAM) --- The setting up of a UAE-Germany parliamentary friendship committee by the Federal National Council (FNC) and the German Parliament (Bundestag) was recently discussed by Abdulaziz Al Zaabi, Second Deputy Speaker of the FNC, and Gabriele Groneberg, Deputy Chair of Bundestag's Parliamentary Friendship Group for Relations with Arabic-Speaking States in the Middle East.

The proposed committee would keep pace with growing relations between the UAE and Germany in all spheres.

A range of topics were discussed during the meeting including developments in the Middle East, and in Syria, Iraq and Yemen in particular, efforts being made to promote international peace and security, the Palestinian issue, the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of States, the global fight against terrorism, extremism, militias and sectarian strife, protection of national sovereignty of States, as well as the refugee crisis and its repercussions on involved countries.

The UAE and German parliamentarians highlighted similarities between the foreign policies pursued by the two countries, including a common quest to achieve international peace and security, efforts to protect the sovereignty of States and respect for international charters and conventions.

They highlighted the role of Hedayah, the Abu Dhabi-based International Centre of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism, and Sawab Centre, a joint collaboration between the UAE and US to counter the online messaging, propaganda and recruitment by terrorists.

Co-operation between the two countries in sectors such as energy, knowledge-based economy and space exploration was also highlighted at the meeting.